Under the Crashing Waves
by Kariana Kusanagi
Summary: AU While on a boating trip, Hiei and Kurama get thrown overboard and end up rescued by a strange and mysterious force. The fight for survival begins as they are seperated.
1. Simple Day

Under the Crashing Waves

By: Cece Williams

((Disclaimer: Once again, Yoshihiro Togashi owns YYH, not me.))

Cece: This is another project I'm working on. It's an AU, and I thought of this while I was watching dolphins on TV.

Kurama: On, Inari….

Cece: Anyway, hope you like.

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Chapter 1: Simple Day

Kurama, more known as Shuichi Minamino, walked onto a boat, carrying a cooler in his hand. Rose-colored sunglasses covered his emerald green eyes as the slight breeze teased his tan khakis and his sea green shirt. His vibrant red hair wasn't excused from the breeze, either; it danced lightly around him.

Yusuke, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, turned around and saw the redhead. "Hey there, Kurama!" he said, waving at the kitsune.

The fox sighed. No one, other than the Tantei, knew of that name, and the other people around would surely ask questions. "Yusuke, please be mindful," he said in his usual calm voice. "I'm Shuichi here." No one knew him by Kurama, and the kitsune youkai did not need anyone to know, either.

Yusuke looked at Kurama. "Sorry, Kurama," he said to him.

Kurama sweatdropped as Kuwabara came out from down below, wearing an orange tank top and blue shorts. "Urameshi, what's taking you so long?" he asked him.

Hiei, who had boarded the boat behind Kurama, looked around with a bored look on his face. But as his garnet eyes looked at the cooler in Kurama's hand, he looked up at the fox. "Please let there be sweet snow in that… thing," he said.

Kurama took off his sunglasses, revealing his emerald green eyes, and smiled down at Hiei. "Of course," he said, setting the cooler down on the deck.

Hiei looked at the boat, which was big enough for only four people. From what Kurama had told him, it was a boating trip "for the guys." That meant that none of the girls would be around, especially the object of Kuwabara's affection. Of course, hearing Kuwabara wanting to call her all weekend long was worse than being on a boat with the moron.

"Well, shall we sail off?" Kurama asked the group.

Yusuke nodded, starting the motor. "Let's get this party started!" he announced as he drove the boat away from the port.

Hiei had already begun to dig into the sweet snow that Kurama had saved for him. While he ate, Kurama looked out at the water. It looked so clean, so pure, and yet it was mysterious at the same time.

"You seasick, Kurama?"

Kurama blinked and looked at Kuwabara, who was leaning against the railing. "Oh, no, I was just admiring the beauty of the sea," he answered.

"The sea doesn't compare to my lovely Yukina," Kuwabara replied, which made Kurama sweatdrop again. Here he went again.

Yusuke walked up to them and wrapped an arm around Kuwabara's shoulders. "Hey, why don't you give her a call?" he said to his orange-haired friend.

Kuwabara's eyes widened as he raced down below. "That's it! I'll call my lovely Yukina!" he said from the bottom deck.

Yusuke shook his head. "Stupid," he muttered under his breath as he followed Kuwabara down.

Kurama smiled inwardly and continued to look at the water as it shimmered with the sunlight like rare jewels. Yes, the water was beautiful indeed, but it was also mysterious. He pulled on his sunglasses again and started to join where Hiei was when he felt a bump under the boat and saw the little black-clad demon's hand against the doorway.

"What in the hell was that?" he asked Kurama.

But before Kurama could answer, another bump caused the kitsune to hit his head on the railing and fall into the water with a splash.

"Kurama!" Hiei shouted, trying to get to where the fox had fallen overboard. But he didn't make it. In fact, he was thrown overboard himself.

Twenty feet down, two girls were giggling. One had a green fin and the other had a blue one. The girl with the green fin had brown hair with her sides pulled up in two small pigtails and blue eyes. Her friend had dark brown hair, almost black and purple eyes.

The girl with the pigtails looked up to see two people floating downwards. With a startled gasp, she swam up to the redhead and looked at the person. "It's a human," she said, her soft voice full of shock.

Her friend grabbed the other person, a person in black. "So is he," she added. Then her purple eyes widened. "Our fathers aren't going to be happy. What are we going to do, Aria?"

The brown-haired-pigtailed mermaid looked at the redhead and gasped. "We'll talk later, Mina," she said. "Right now, let's just find them some shelter and some air." With that, the two girls separated, each with a person.

Aria swam as fast as her fins could take her into an underwater cave. She knew it very well, since there was a cliff that she could rest on out of the water. Reaching the surface of the cave, she set the woman's limp form on the cliff. "Please, wake up," she said, smoothing the hair from around the woman's face. She heard a gurgling sound and dove back in the water.

Kurama coughed up the seawater and spit it out. He opened his eyes to hear a splash. He started to sit up and found himself in somewhere he didn't know. "Where am I?" he asked, echoes ringing out the same question.

Aria stayed underwater, but her eyes widened. It was a man? She didn't want him to know that she was a mermaid and didn't know how he would react to something like that. _But he looks like a woman,_ she thought as she stayed below the surface. _How could a woman have a man's voice? _Hopefully, her friend was having better luck.

Kurama looked down and saw a couple of bubbles on the surface. "Who's there?" he asked, trying to look in the dark depths of the water but found nothing. Seeing a ripple in the otherwise calm water, he looked to see two pigtails, which belonged to a face of a girl.

Aria's eyes widened and she ducked back in the water. _That's the woman that sounds like a man,_ she thought to herself. _Oh, what do I do?_

Kurama blinked and lay back down. "Who are you?" he asked as his emerald eyes closed.

Aria took a small breath of relief. She swam to the bottom of the cave to find some food, even if it wasn't much, for the man-sounding woman. She swam slowly up to the edge of the cliff and laid some underwater berries next to the figure. She then slipped back underwater and swam out of the cave, heading for home. Surely her father would be worried.

Meanwhile, Mina brought the black-clad figure to another cave a good distance away. She didn't want to get Aria in trouble, but then again, associating with humans was strictly forbidden in their realm anyway. She put the black-clad person on a cliff and dove back in the water. In a sense, she could have cared less what happened to him. He was a human, for crying out loud! Why should she care? She swam out of her own cave and back home.

Hiei coughed and sat up, the salty water of the sea coming out of his mouth. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a cave of some sort. Wait… the last thing he remembered… Kurama! He looked to his side and saw that the fox wasn't there. Where could he be?

Meanwhile, on the boat, the thumping had stopped, and Yusuke and Kuwabara walked out onto the deck. "Kurama? Hiei?" Yusuke asked, but stopped short when he spotted Kurama's rose-colored glasses. Then, reality hit him. "They went overboard!"

Kuwabara tried to look down. Kurama and Hiei were good swimmers, but something about them being overboard didn't sit well with him. "I don't see them," he said to Yusuke. "You don't think they…" he left the rest unsaid.

"Come on," Yusuke told him. "Let's head back to shore." With that, Yusuke started the motor and drove the boat away.

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((I think there's a lot more to this story than what is on here.))

Cece: Sorry it's short, you guys. I'm also working on "Trial of Halves" and got a bad writer's block.

Kurama: Mermaids rescue Hiei and me?

Cece: (laughs nervously) Well, review here and tell me what you think.


	2. Where We Don't Belong

Under the Crashing Waves

By: Cece Williams

((Disclaimer: Once Yoshihiro Togashi said he owned YYH, he owns it. I don't, so don't sue. All you'll get is a headache the size of Texas.))

Cece: Thanks to the reviewers! Kage Kitsune 7 - Well, some author somewhere thought of the idea and everyone else kind of used that. Thanks for reading. Hi-chankurara (mediaminer) – Thank you for reading it. Stix (mediaminer) – I will definitely add to this story! Thanks for reading. Here's the second chapter.

Kurama: And pray to Inari that nothing bad happens.

Cece: Must you doubt my writing? Anyway, read on.

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Chapter 2: Where We Don't Belong

In one of the underwater caves, Kurama woke up to a strange noise from underwater. He sat up quickly and soon regretted it, remembering that he had hit his head somehow.

"I'm so glad you're awake."

Kurama blinked his emerald green eyes, which shot open upon hearing the unfamiliar voice. But where was it coming from? He looked around and saw that no one was on the same cliff he was. "Who's there?" he asked, the echoes repeating the same question.

The only response Kurama received was a giggle from under the water.

"Who's there?" Kurama repeated, his voice sounding more coercive than before. "I do not have time for games." Kurama then saw ripples on the water near a small island in the water, and then a head surfaced… the same pigtailed head the day before. "Who are you?"

The figure dove back in the water, her eyes widened in fear.

_Great, I must have scared her,_ Kurama thought as he set his hand in the cool water. He lay down on his belly, trying to peer into the mysterious water. "It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you." His voice settled down to soft and encouraging. "It's okay."

The figure looked at the hand from under the water and blinked. _He must not be trying to hurt me after all,_ she thought as she swam slowly to his hand. She took a finger and traced the palm slowly. _What is this?_ she asked herself. _He looks like a woman, yet her hand feels like a man's._

Kurama blinked at his palm being caressed very gently by a finger. This was something he never imagined. "Please, don't be scared," he said, his voice staying composed but soft, not wanting to frighten the figure more. The fox blinked again as the figure came to the surface, showing only from her shoulders up. She was beautiful; her blue eyes almost mimicked the sea and her hair looked almost like caramel now that her head was out of the water. "Hello."

"Hello."

Her voice was so soft that Kurama could barely hear it. The kitsune looked at the figure as she put a hand against herself. "Are you all right?" he asked her, concerned that maybe she had swallowed some of the sea's water.

"Aria."

Kurama blinked; he didn't know the figure said anything. Her voice was so quiet, it was almost as if she were scared of him. "Excuse me?"

The figure patted her own body, her hand near her neck. "Aria."

"Aria." The name slipped off of Kurama's tongue. Now he knew the girl's name was Aria. _It must be how she introduces herself,_ he thought as he put his hand on his heart. "Kurama."

"Kurma," the soft-voiced girl tried to say his name.

The fox smiled and sweatdropped. "That's close enough," he said. "Please tell me where I am."

"Inside a cave," Aria answered, her voice growing slightly distant.

"Why did you rescue me?" he asked her.

Aria swam to the island and leaned her arms against it, not answering his question. She laid her head against her arms and looked at the effeminate man across the way. His long crimson hair flowed down his back as his emerald green eyes gazed at her questioningly.

"Please, Aria, tell me why you rescued me," Kurama repeated.

"Why do you need a reason?" she finally answered him inquisitively.

"I just find it hard to believe that a woman of your stature would be able to rescue a drowning human."

Aria tilted her head to look at Kurama. "Sometimes, the things that happen are things we do not believe," she said to him.

Kurama blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean, Aria?" he asked.

Aria sat up onto the island and looked at him. "Now do you believe?"

Kurama's eyes widened. She had looked like a normal human before she had sat on the island. But now… he didn't know what to believe. From her waist down was a long green fin like a fish, but as she dipped her fin in the water and looked at him, the fox knew there was something more to this woman than met the eye. He took a deep breath and looked at Aria again. "You're a mermaid, am I not correct?"

Aria nodded her head. "Yes," she answered, folding her hands onto her fin. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

Kurama continued to look at the innocent looking mermaid in front of him. "I thought your kind were legends," he said, his voice taking a surprised tone.

"We are," she answered, giving Kurama a sea-cool gaze.

Kurama blinked. He was actually face to face with a real mermaid. Maybe he did hit his head harder than he thought. If it was one thing he knew for sure, it was that she was alluring. The other thing he knew was that the Youko in him would surely have taken advantage of that beauty.

Suddenly, Aria dove back into the water, which made Kurama blink.

_She must be tired,_ Kurama thought to himself. He tried to peer into the dark abyss of water, trying to find Aria. Where was she? He couldn't find her.

Aria, on the other hand, was not at all tired, but she sat on a rock and combed her long hair while singing a simple melody. She flapped her fins and closed her eyes as she continued to sing and comb her hair. _He hasn't tried to hurt me,_ she thought. _But still… if word gets about that there are two humans among us, our entire species will be eliminated._ Her blue eyes looked around at the walls of the cave as she finished combing her hair.

Kurama blinked, hearing a sweet voice singing a piece of music he had never heard before. _Aria… is that her singing?_ he thought. He heard a noise that made him alert instantly. After another minute, the same noise was heard. _What's going on?_ he thought as the cave grew deathly quiet.

Aria had left the cave, a worried look on her angelic face. She looked around and started swimming towards her friend's underwater cave. She knew of her father's rivalry with Mina's father, but that didn't stop her from being friends with her.

Meanwhile, in another underwater cave, Hiei woke up and looked around, hearing a strange noise. He pulled his bandanna off his forehead and activated his Jagan, which showed him a surprising sight, a lone woman with long hair and a fin. Wait… fin? Hiei blinked his eyes.

"I knew humans were simple-minded," a female's voice said from deep in the water.

Hiei's eyebrows narrowed as he put his bandanna back on.

"You humans are all alike," she continued. "You pollute our waters, kill our way of life, and I'm supposed to let you live?"

"Hn. You think I like it here?" Hiei asked, poking his sword against one wall.

"You're lucky I didn't let you die," the female voice answered. "But it'd break my friend's heart if I did." But before Hiei could respond, she had gone to see who was outside. "Aria, what are you doing here?" She looked at the worried look in her friend's eyes. "Look, don't worry; he's not going anywhere."

"It's not that," she answered. "I just found out about the woman."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's really a man, but he looks like a woman," Aria answered.

The other mermaid looked at her and then pulled her inside. "I could have told you it was a man from the beginning."

"Why didn't you?" Aria answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I thought you already knew," Mina answered. "I mean, come on, what would that human see in you, anyway? You trust too many people."

"And you don't trust enough," Aria retorted, her blue eyes quivering in their sockets. "What's wrong with you? You act like everyone's out to get you for something."

"And you act like everything is as carefree as the dolphin," Mina answered back.

Unbeknownst to them both, Hiei was overhearing their conversation with his Jagan, which glowed through his bandanna. _So, they have different personalities,_ he thought. _This Aria seems to trust everyone, but her 'friend' thinks she's too nice. Hmm._

"I'm glad to think that, Mina," Aria said, looking at her intensely. "Because one day that will happen. There won't be any more suffering or pain or anything."

"Yeah, one day," she echoed.

Aria took a deep breath and let it out. She put her hands on her face. "I'm sorry for acting like that," she said after a minute of silence. "I don't know what came over me."

"You're under a lot of pressure," Mina answered, patting her friend's shoulder. "But as long as the others don't know, we're fine."

Once again, unknown to the mermaids, Hiei heard everything. It sounded like they had captured him, but then he remembered the brown-haired girl talk about Kurama. So he was captured too! But what did they want with them?

"I have to leave now," Aria said, swimming to the outside of the cave. "Please don't harm them."

"All right," Mina answered, nodding as Aria left the cave. Mina looked up at Hiei. "You're lucky I didn't do anything sooner."

"And what would you have done, mermaid?" Hiei asked her coolly.

Mina smirked; this guy sure was stubborn. "I'd make you regret the day you were born," she answered, her voice lowering into a threatening growl.

Hiei's eyebrows narrowed even more as he started to tug at the bandage at his right arm. He was one to not take threats very well, and the look on his face made that obvious. "I seriously hope that wasn't a threat," he said to her.

Mina crossed her arms against her chest. "I hope you don't plan on using your attack here," she said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because if you attack, there won't be much air here for you to breathe," Mina answered, pulling a small stray hair from her eyes. "And I'm sure your friend wouldn't like that, would we?"

Growling under his breath, Hiei refastened the bandage back around his arm. As much as he hated to admit it, the cocky mermaid had a point. _Damn it, she's right,_ he thought. He couldn't find Kurama or where they were keeping him if he were dead. Plus, he couldn't really survive a long trek underwater anyway.

"That's a good boy," Mina crooned, swimming to the entrance of the cave. "Now be a good little boy and stay here until I return… if I want to."

As soon as Mina rolled the stone back over the cave's entrance, Hiei growled again. He hated being called little. He swore that if he ever got out of there, that mermaid would be the first target.

Meanwhile, after Aria had some food for Kurama, she swam back to her home, a somber look on her face. She wanted to help them, but maybe her friend was right. Maybe they did want to hurt them. Maybe…

"Aria?"

She looked up at a familiar voice and smiled happily. She recognized her father's strong form and smiling face. "Father!" she said, swimming as fast as her fins could take her to her father's arms. "You're home!"

Neptune, Aria's father, chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his daughter. "Of course I am," he answered her, ruffling her hair. "I missed that seaweed salad you used to make."

"I thought you missed me," Aria said, pouting her lips at her father.

Her father laughed. "Yes, I missed you most of all," he replied. "That battle's coming up and I need that great cooking from my lovely daughter."

Aria felt her face grow warm and embarrassed. "Father…"

"Come on, let's eat our dinner."

She nodded and led her father into the house. While Neptune rested on a rock, Aria went into the kitchen and started preparing their meal. Her life had been rough, and there were a number of thoughts running through her head, most of them about the redhead she rescued. He was different from the other one she had seen; Kurama was nice, but his friend… she wasn't sure.

"Aria? Is something wrong?"

Her father's voice broke her concentration and she blinked. "No, Father," she answered, finishing her meal and taking it to her father.

While they ate, Neptune talked of strategies he would use against his enemy. "I was thinking of hitting them hard and fast," he began.

Aria let the words go in one ear and out the other. She didn't care about fighting; the only time she wanted to get involved is if there wasn't any other choice. It seemed like the only thing her father talked about was the upcoming battle. After the meal was finished, her father petted her on the head as he went to his room. Aria went to hers, unseen tears starting to well in her eyes.

On the other side, Mina came home to her father, Poseidon. In a sense, they were almost the same as far as their attitudes were. _What is wrong with that girl?_ she thought to herself. _She's never acted like that before. What was it about that other human that she liked? He can't possibly understand her._ Taking a deep breath, she swam inside the home.

"Mina? You're home already?"

Mina looked up to see her father, a strong merman with a deep blue fin. "Yeah," she answered at the same time as her younger brother, Kappa, swam to his sister. He had an aqua fin and brown hair.

"Fight any more sharks?"

Mina shook her head. "No sharks today, warrior wannabe," she answered him.

Poseidon chuckled at his children. Still, in his heart, something was missing. As a matter of fact, _someone_ was missing. "So, what were you doing?" he asked his daughter.

"Nothing. Just swam around."

"I hope none of those guys tried anything with you."

Mina knew of her father being overprotective ever since her younger sister, Sora, had been captured. She didn't know what happened to her, but she understood why her father was protective of her even now. "Dad, I'm fine. I'm the best warrior you've got in case you've forgotten," she answered.

"I haven't forgotten that."

"I haven't seen one."

Poseidon chuckled. "I know, Mina," he replied.

Kappa pulled on Mina's arm, diverting her attention from their father. "Sister, can you teach me how to fight?" he asked her.

Mina looked down at her little brother. "Just stay with Tsume-sama and you'll be fine," she answered, smiling warmly.

Kappa nodded his head. "Okay."

Mina looked back at her father. "Father, I was wondering, haven't you tried negotiating with them?" she asked.

Poseidon blinked. Why should he talk to his rival? What possible reason would he have to talk to Neptune? "Why would I?" he asked back.

"Maybe, they didn't take her," Mina voiced her reason. "Maybe, someone else did."

"That's just it. Who is the question."

Mina looked up at her father with a slightly pouting look in her dark eyes. "Instead of fighting, we can talk to them."

Poseidon blinked. This was a new idea for him. "Talk to them?"

"I think it's a good idea."

"Maybe," her father answered, as he looked out the hole, trying to find the answer in the deep, dark water surrounding them.

Mina looked at the floor. She was hoping her father would talk to them to find out where Sora was and if she was all right. Now she was worried that her father wouldn't allow it.

"When do you want to talk to them?"

Mina looked up at her father's voice and smiled. "You mean it?"

Poseidon nodded. "Maybe we'll find her..." He looked out the hole again. "Sora…"

Meanwhile, back in her home, Aria looked out the hole in her room, confusion eating at her features. What should she do, help Kurama and his friend out, or keep them there? She wasn't allowed to the surface, mainly of being her father's only child. "What should I do?" she asked herself in a whisper.

In one of the underwater caves, Kurama was growing worried over the green-finned mermaid. Was she going to finally trust him and help them? _She seemed so nice, but she looked scared when she left,_ Kurama thought to himself as he settled down on the cliff. _Wonder what's wrong._ With that, the kitsune went to sleep.

In the other underwater cave, however, Hiei was still upset about not attacking that arrogant mermaid. "I should have fried that fish when I had the chance," he said, growling as he lay down on the cliff and went to sleep.

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((Here's chapter two, and it has a good twist in it…))

Cece: Review here and let me know how it's cooking so far.


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